SB Nation - Login for mobile commenting

Halos Heaven

Angels Starters Streaking, Halo Bullpen Leaking.  Halolinks

Kendrick, Matsui lead Angels over Tigers 6-5 -  Sporting News
Scott Kazmir left the game with a six-run cushion, then took a seat in front of the clubhouse television and watched helplessly as that lead kept shrinking."It was definitely nerve-racking, that's for sure," Kazmir said. "But at the same time, those guys are streaky hitters. They've got quite a few veterans, especially their 3-4-5 hitters, and those guys can swing it. So you knew they weren't going to go down without a fight. But when Rodney came in and you saw his first two pitches, you knew he was on."

I think this is what Joe Saunders was talking about when, during an interview earlier this spring about the Angels rotation lacking an "ace", he mentioned the Angels starters would "feed off each other" and string together good outings.  With Kazmir's win last night, each of the Angels starters have won their last decision and the Angels have won 5 straight.  With each win there seems to be a little more determination with the starters to not let down his rotation-mates.  As was mentioned in last night post-game write-up, the Angel starters have allowed just one walk in their last 37 innings and have a K/BB ratio of  27/1.  Another indication the Angels starters have had excellent command of the strike zone is the number of strikes they have thrown.  Of the 519 pitches thrown, 345 have been strikes (66%).

Tigers-Angels Preview -  Sporting News
Los Angeles will look for another strong start from Jered Weaver (2-0, 2.48 ERA) when he takes the ball in this contest. He allowed two runs and struck out eight in seven innings of a 7-5 win at Toronto on Friday. "My arm feels good, everything feels good," said Weaver, who has struck out 21 and walked three in three starts this season. The right-hander, however, is 2-2 with a 7.36 ERA against the Tigers. The Tigers hope Jeremy Bonderman (1-1, 9.00) can bounce back from a rough outing when gets the start Wednesday. He allowed 10 runs and walked four in four innings of an 11-3 loss at Seattle on Friday. It was the most runs he had allowed since the Angels scored 11 off him July 29, 2007. The right-hander is 3-3 with a 4.67 ERA against the Angels.

The Angels have scored 60 runs, while allowing 74 runs. Their Pythagorean W-L: 6-9.  The one that counts: 8-7.

Jeff Mathis on DL, Robb Quinlan recalled by Angels -  FOX Sports on MSN
The Los Angeles Angels placed catcher Jeff Mathis on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday because of a broken right wrist and recalled utility infielder Robb Quinlan from Triple-A Salt Lake. Mathis was injured in the eighth inning of Monday night's 2-0 win over Detroit when he attempted to block a pitch in the dirt from reliever Kevin Jepsen with his throwing hand. Mathis finished the game, but manager Mike Scioscia wasn't too optimistic about the situation afterward. Mathis was examined Tuesday by Dr. Lewis Yocum, who gave him the bad news. The catcher is expected to miss six to eight weeks.

Ah, man.  Just when we were starting to like you.  Did anyone else think it was strange that Napoli was hitting ninth in  last night's game?  It was almost like Scioscia was pissed he had to start Naps, "I got no choice but to play you, but you're batting last!"

MORE LINKS AFTER THE BREAK...

Star-divide

Abreu reaches rare feat with stolen base - angelsbaseball.com
Bobby Abreu's stolen base in the fifth inning at Angel Stadium on Tuesday night made him only the sixth player in Major League history and the only active player to steal 350 career bases and hit 250 home runs. Rickey Henderson (1,406 stolen bases/297 home runs), Joe Morgan (689/268), Barry Bonds (514/762), Bobby Bonds (461/332) and Craig Biggio (414/291) are the others to reach the achievement.

That's some pretty good company.

Cincinnati Reds pitcher Edinson Volquez suspended 50 games - FOX Sports on MSN
Former All-Star pitcher Edinson Volquez was suspended 50 games Tuesday following a positive test for a banned fertility substance, a punishment that will cost him money but won't hurt the Cincinnati Reds' rotation. The 26-year-old right-hander is recovering from reconstructive elbow surgery and isn't expected to rejoin the Reds until late July at the earliest. He can serve the suspension from Major League Baseball while continuing his rehabilitation at the team's spring training complex in Goodyear, Ariz. "That's the only good thing,'' Reds pitcher Bronson Arroyo said. "I'm actually surprised they're letting him do that.''

I agree with Arroyo's comment.  Earlier this year when Cliff Lee had been suspended (see below), his suspension wouldn't have started until he returned from the disabled list.  How is this different?  Volquez is going to lose some money over this, but what's to stop a team from telling a severely injured player to go ahead and take a steroid to help them heal faster and they'll continue to pay him secretly when/if he tests positive?  If a player doesn't care about the negative publicity of using PED's, he'll return quicker, while the team will get their player back sooner and would have been paying him anyways.

Mariners' Lee wins appeal, has suspension dropped -  CBSSports.com
MLB vice president of administration John McHale made the decision Tuesday to drop the suspension after Lee's appeal hearing last week. Lee, general manager Jack Zduriencik and Mariners trainer Rick Griffin said in a conference call with MLB that the left-hander's injuries caused an errant pitch in a spring training game.

Good.  Once Lee returns, the Mariners will have no excuses for when the Angels beat them.

When it comes to revenue, Yankees are in league of their own - Joe Posnanski - SI.com
According to the Forbes numbers, every team in baseball, except the Florida Marlins (who are a WHOLE other story) spent at least 80% of their revenue on baseball operations last year. There were differences in how much teams spent, sure. The percentages ranged from the Detroit Tigers (who spent 116% of their revenue -- they lost almost $30 million in 2009), to the Marlins (who spent just 68% -- the San Diego Padres are next at 80%). Seventeen teams spent 90% or more on baseball operating expenses, so at least in financial terms you would have to say that most teams ARE trying.

Hey, guess what...the Yankees are making a lot of money!

Good seats available: MLB setting record lows in attendance - Big League Stew -  Yahoo! Sports
Eight games were played in the major leagues Monday night. Three of the venues being used announced all-time attendance lows. Three out of eight — in one night!

Hey, guess what...the Yankees are still making a lot of money!

April 21 - BR Bullpen
2000 - The Anaheim Angels down the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 9 - 6. Mo Vaughn and Tim Salmon hit back-to-back home runs for Anaheim in the fourth inning, then repeat the feat in the ninth. Troy Glaus also homers in those same two innings, marking the first time in major league history that three players homer in the same inning twice in the same game. The three players with two home runs in the game ties another major league record.
RIP:
1947 - Steamer Flanagan, outfielder (b. 1881)  What a great name.

Five-in-a-row:

Detroit Tigers
Austin Jackson, CF 4 1 1 0 1 3 0 .328
Johnny Damon, LF 5 0 2 0 0 1 4 .292
Magglio Ordonez, RF 4 2 1 0 1 2 2 .316
Miguel Cabrera, 1B 5 0 2 3 0 1 2 .364
Carlos Guillen, DH 4 1 2 0 1 0 2 .291
Brandon Inge, 3B 5 0 1 2 0 2 3 .280
Ryan Raburn, 2B 4 0 1 0 0 2 1 .200
Gerald Laird, C 4 0 0 0 0 2 1 .125
Adam Everett, SS 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 .214
   a- Ramon Santiago, PH-SS 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 .238
Totals 38 5 11 5 4 13    
a-walked for Everett in the 7th
Batting
2B - Miguel Cabrera (5, Palmer), Brandon Inge (7, Bulger)
3B - Ryan Raburn (1, Kazmir)
RBI - Miguel Cabrera 3 (17), Brandon Inge 2 (8)
2-OUT RBI - Miguel Cabrera 3 (6), Brandon Inge 2 (2)
SB - Austin Jackson (3, 2nd base off Jepsen/Napoli)
Team LOB - 10
Fielding
DP - Raburn-Everett-Cabrera, Inge-Raburn-Cabrera
E - Austin Jackson (1, Misplayed grounder)
Los Angeles Angels
Erick Aybar, SS 4 1 1 0 0 2 3 .273
Bobby Abreu, RF 3 1 1 0 1 0 2 .220
Torii Hunter, CF 4 0 0 0 0 2 3 .308
Hideki Matsui, DH 4 0 1 2 0 2 0 .309
Kendry Morales, 1B 4 2 3 0 0 0 1 .255
Juan Rivera, LF 3 1 1 0 0 0 2 .259
Maicer Izturis, 3B 3 1 1 1 1 0 0 .238
Howard Kendrick, 2B 3 0 1 3 1 1 0 .340
Mike Napoli, C 4 0 1 0 0 1 2 .158
Totals 32 6 10 6 3 8    
Batting
2B - Erick Aybar (3, Porcello), Hideki Matsui (6, Porcello), Howard Kendrick (4, Porcello)
RBI - Hideki Matsui 2 (10), Maicer Izturis (6), Howard Kendrick 3 (8)
SB - Bobby Abreu (2, 2nd base off Porcello/Laird)
Team LOB - 6
 
Detroit Tigers
Rick Porcello (L,1-1) 4.1 8 6 6 2 5 0 6.46
Fu-Te Ni 1.2 1 0 0 1 1 0 1.80
Joel Zumaya 2 1 0 0 0 2 0 0.00
HBP - J. Rivera (by Rick Porcello)
WP - Rick Porcello 2 (3)
Pitches-Strikes - Rick Porcello 76-46, Fu-Te Ni 30-17, Joel Zumaya 34-24
Ground Balls-Fly Balls - Rick Porcello 5-1
Batters Faced - Rick Porcello 22, Fu-Te Ni 7, Joel Zumaya 7
Los Angeles Angels
Scott Kazmir (W,1-1) 5.2 6 2 2 0 7 0 7.45
Jason Bulger 0.1 1 0 0 0 1 0 10.80
Scot Shields 0.2 0 3 3 3 1 0 16.20
Matt Palmer (H,1) 0.1 1 0 0 1 0 0 4.82
Kevin Jepsen (H,6) 1 2 0 0 0 3 0 2.57
Fernando Rodney (S,5) 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 4.50
Pitches-Strikes - Scott Kazmir 99-60, Jason Bulger 11-7, Scot Shields 26-11, Matt Palmer 13-6, Kevin Jepsen 31-22, Fernando Rodney 18-12
Ground Balls-Fly Balls - Scott Kazmir 4-6, Fernando Rodney 1-1
Batters Faced - Scott Kazmir 23, Jason Bulger 2, Scot Shields 5, Matt Palmer 3, Kevin Jepsen 5, Fernando Rodney 4
 
Game Information
Attendance - 35266
Game Time - 3:09
Temperature - 58
Umpires - Home - Dan Iassogna, First Base - Dale Scott, Second Base - Jerry Meals, Third Base - Mark Wegner

0 recs  |  34 comments

Comments

SIX TO EIGHT WEEKS?!

OH BOB SAGET!!

We ARE in a recession and folks are trimming their budgets, but the truth is fans are going to continue to be discouraged and stay away from games when they know their team is going to stand no chance of making it to the playoffs year after year. Even more frustrating is when fans at every park in the country have to endure thousands of bandwagon Red Sox and Yankee fans invading their field and cheering the visiting team. Most of these fans are ONLY fans because everyone likes a winner. Bring parity to the game and watch the Yankee and Red Sox empires collapse.

i think

it is the cold weather and the recession.

It's that global warming I keep hearing about!

It’s seriously killing me.

Napoli hit 8th a lot last year

When Aybar was entrenched as a 2nd leadoff hitter in the #9 spot. He’s generally hit behind Izzy and Kendrick when they’ve been in the lineup together. I prefer to think of it as a second cleanup hitter. I assume that he won’t be hitting behind Wood when Brandon plays though.

Why is Mathis on the 15 day DL if he is expected to miss 6-8 weeks?
I think if you're put on the 60 day dl you're removed from the 40 man roster or something

but i could be wrong

I guess meaning if he’s better in 6 weeks he still wouldn’t be able to be put back on the roster for 25 more consecutive days.

Because 6-8 weeks is less that 60 days?
So what happens in the interim 45+ days, he becomes ball boy?
He can stay on the 15 day DL for longer if necessary, but if he goes to the 60 and can play in 42, we'd still be without him for a while

If in 15 days it looks like he will be gone at least 60, the angels can retroactively put him on the 60 day DL- and open up his spot on the 40 man roster which in the grand scheme of things is really an insignificant move.. Apparently there is no urgency for the club to add someone to the 40 man roster (which is a whole other mess to discuss- when the person is removed from the 40 man) since they used quinlan.

EXACTLY

The only advantage of the 60 Day DL is to get another guy on your 40-Man roster – which starts his arbitration clock running, et cetera, so with Wilson and Budde on the 40-Man there is no rush.

In addition to Cliff Lee winning his appeal,

Joe Maddon has been allowed to continue to wear his beloved hoodie. No word on the whether the eyeglasses are regulation, though.

I'm surprised the Angels attendance last night was 35k

On tv it looked like there were a lot more empty seats than that.

That was the paid attendance. There may have been no-shows.
I mean probably the paid attendance
The rest of the people were in line for the bathroom
Did you have a good 4/20 Rex?

Yeah it was mellow, watched the angels game on gamecast, I don’t smoke anymore but I was there in spirit. : )

I'm guessing your don't smoke anymore

Because Rex took your stash, so you don’t have anymore to smoke? Lol.

But really, good on you for not smoking anymore!

GIVEAWAY NIGHT

I got two calendars, scanned each ticket. It was rainy early and then cold/windy. Less than 20,000 there at the end of the game.

Am I the only one who thinks Howie should be higher in our batting order?

I know those GIDPs are tough sometimes, but it’s illogical to have one of our better hitters batting so low.

brings balance to the lineup.
Howie hasn't done well in the 2 spot, like the beginning of last year

Naps should bat in front of Juan.

naps should bat 1-8

1: Naps
2: Napster
3: Nipples
4: Naparo
5: Napper
6: Napareli
7: Napoply
8: Naps Moms Son Mike
9: Wood

what about Matsui! :o
off the bench

next to the two backup catchers; Napcap and Naptis

That's a lot of salad
That's what she said.
"Naparelli"

Gigantic white pasta shells covered over completely by white Southern biscuit gravy;
Remove the layer of gravy entirely to expose the giant noodles, and hope that the noodles haven’t lost their flavor and now suck

great use of GOOGLE
But then where would Curtis Granderson bat?!

He-yo!! :-P

You must Login with your SB Nation account and be a member of Halos Heaven to post a comment.